Maybe he’s just being modest, but the architect of the NFL’s most lethal offense sees himself more as a pigskin pickpocket than football genius.

“As far as the ingenuity and stuff, a lot of these things are things that certainly we’re not the first people to do it,” Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said in a teleconference with Detroit reporters Wednesday. “There’s so much good film out there, whether it be college tape or pro tape, and we’re certainly not shy to use something if it fits for us. So a lot of these things are just recycled versions of plays that have been run for a long, long time in football.”

Recycled or not, the Rams have run roughshod over the rest of the NFL this year thanks to a high-flying offense that’s one of the most unique and dangerous in the league.

At 10-1, the Rams are tied for the best record in the NFL and can clinch their second straight NFC West Division title with a win Sunday over the Detroit Lions (1 p.m. Fox).

They rank third in the league in points (35.4 per game), second in yards (448.6 ypg) and have two legitimate MVP candidates in quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley.

Beyond Goff and Gurley, the Rams have a deep group of pass catchers, a talented offensive line and a head coach in McVay – the youngest in the NFL at just 32 years old – who's built an offense that stresses defenses with its tempo, formations and play design.

“I think that's what makes the offense so special is No. 1 they have very good players, and a lot of very good players,” Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said. “Wide receivers, tight ends, running backs. The quarterback is the No. (3) rated guy in the league right now, I think, and he’s playing really well. And great design by the coaches. Completely understanding the skill set of each player and coming up with the design, the scheme in the offense, that puts those guys in position and gets them the ball and gives them opportunities to use their skill set and make plays.”

The Rams average a whopping 9.3 yards per pass play (the Lions average 6.9 yards, by comparison) in part because Gurley's presence in the backfield affords them extra time and space to take shots downfield.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 19: Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams runs for a first down during the third quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775192724 ORIG FILE ID: 1063608182(Photo: Getty Images)

Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said he studied the Rams’ offense during his down time last spring and came away marveling at how "they do a great job of meshing the run and the play-action pass game."

"Those things look the same to me a lot of times, and that’s I think pretty valuable for an offense and pretty tough on a defense," Cooter said. "It’s been a while since I’ve really gotten to dive into their tape because of the season, and that’s how it goes. We glance at things from time to time. We may have some crossover tape from time to time, but I would say the run-pass versatility they have where it really does look the same or look very similar when the ball is snapped is pretty valuable."

The Rams play primarily out of “11 personnel” with one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers on the field.

Gurley is just as dangerous catching the ball (he has 43 receptions) as he is running it (1,043 yards), and he often enjoys six-man boxes because of the way defenses have to account for the Rams’ personnel.

Beyond the sheer offensive talent the Rams have – not many teams in the league have a trio of skill players as respected as Goff, Gurley and receiver Brandin Cooks – Pasqualoni said McVay does of great job of designing plays to take advantage of his individual players’ strengths.

Cooks, for instance, excels on vertical routes and in run-after-the-catch situations, while Robert Woods is a great intermediate route runner, and more often than not they're used in those roles.

“There’s guys who are better at certain things than other guys, they just do a really good job of zeroing in on what everybody’s really, really good at and designing and getting them into those concepts,” Pasqualoni said. “And the quarterback is doing an excellent job of executing it.”

Goff has thrown just one interception in the Rams’ last five games and is coming off a 413-yard, four-touchdown performance in a 54-51 win over Mahomes' Chiefs.

That type of shootout, while not yet commonplace, seems to be where the NFL is headed, with the Rams leading the way.

“The way they do things makes it difficult on a defense,” safety Glover Quin said. “But we understand what they’re doing and what they’re trying to do, so like I said, we execute our game plan better than they execute theirs, we should be in good shape.”